Monday, March 9, 2009

Dorothy Mae Brown's Apple Spice Cake is one of the most popular recipes on Martha Stewart's website. I've made it once before. I love, love apple cakes and this caramel sauce is to die for...when properly made! (see below for the disaster)

Oh my goodness! What the heck went soooo wrong? Okay. I really take full responsibility for this, but I'd like to call out the Oct0-mom as a contributing problem! For some reason, I can't stop following the Octo-mom. While I was making the caramel sauce, I was totally into the Today Show's story about her 911 tapes (where her 5 year old is missing)...and must have completely ruined the caramel sauce. However, it's all bubbly with brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk and vanilla...and I didn't know it so I just poured it over the cake.

I took photos...and then cut into the cake. OMG. It was harder than the caramel that covers a caramel apple. This cake would be endorsed by the Conference of Periodontics and Implant Dentists...because it would totally pull out all your teeth. And that is sooo expensive; my parents got a bunch of implants last year and they could have gotten a new car instead...

So, since I thought it would be rude to involuntary rip out the library staff's teeth, I peeled the caramel off and ended up with this crater filled apple bundt cake.

Here is the "final" cake. I threw on some powdered sugar. Even with all its trials and Octo-mom train wrecks, the cake was very tasty. I added walnuts this time and will do it again. You should give the recipe a try! Here's the recipe for Apple Spice Cake.

Yes, Octo-Mom is fascinating me, too. And I'm sorry your caramel was moonlighting for the American Dental Society because it looks so pretty! I love apple cake, though, so thanks for the lead on this one. Lucky librarians!

I would totally do something like that--peeling off the caramel, that is. I hate it when things go wrong with my baking. Especially when the baked good in question is destined for some event and I don't have time to make something else... =)

I LOVE this post, because it happens to all of us and your honesty and humor made me laugh out loud, coz I can relate! OctoMom...oy. I work in entertainment TV so I'm swimming in Octo everyday, ha. The cake and icing look amazing, but you're right...I want to keep my 2 front teeth:)!

Well, this is a late comment and you may have figured it out, but .. the caramel may have been so hard because it was cooked at too high of a temperature. The bubbling you describe is not a good sign. The ingredients only need to be heated enough to become combined. Martha's recipes are often good but I do wish they would test more and provide complete instructions.